Victims and Violence: Childhood Maltreatment, Neighborhood Safety Concerns, and Firearm-Involved Violence in Violently Injured Patients

Firearm-involved aggression remains a persistent public health issue in the United States. Childhood maltreatment and exposure to community violence are known risk factors for violent behavior. Yet, little research has looked at the link between childhood maltreatment and firearm-involved violence perpetration in adulthood. This study examined the relationship between five types of childhood maltreatment (i.e., emotional abuse and neglect, physical abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse) and firearm violence perpetration and the potential moderating effect of neighborhood safety concerns in a high-risk group of adults. The study included 441 violently injured adults ( M age = 32.54, SD = 12.75, 72% male) from a Level 1 Trauma Center. Participants completed assessments of childhood maltreatment, neighborhood safety concerns, and firearm-involved violence. Findings revealed that physical abuse was directly related to firearm-involved violence, while neighborhood concerns moderated the link between both emotional abuse and firearm-involved violence and sexual abuse and firearm violence perpetration. These findings show the importance of treating both individual and community trauma in violence prevention efforts.